The Elevator Pitch

Ever hear of the phrase, "Elevator Pitch"?

It arose from the idea that, if you bumped into a very important person on an elevator, you would only have the duration of an elevator ride to pitch your concept or product. So, when you practice your "Elevator Pitch," you need to distill the essense of your idea into a 2-minute dialogue that should explain it while making it sound like the super-most-awesome-thing ever.

So, The Hero Business definitely needs an "Elevator Pitch," right? OK, here 'goes...

"Ever wonder why some super-heroes are more popular than others? Why some of those super guys get movies, toy deals and cartoons - while others become the "Zima" of the super-hero set? The answers to those questions lie behind the doors of The Hero Business - a specialty agency that caters to the super-hero set.

The Hero Buiness is a funny and fast-paced web comic by Bill Walko that believes "with great powers, comes great marketability." And you'll see why running a super-hero agency can be a little less than super when your staff includes a washed-up super-hero, a recovering super-villain, a prickly public relations expert, an overly-aggressive marketing director and a cynical receptionist.

But mayhem is all in a day's work... when you're in The Hero Business."

Whatdoyathink? If you were a rich dude in an elevator, would you buy it?

The Secret Origin of The Hero Business

So how did this "Hero Business" thing come about?

Well, I've been drawing since I was like 5 years old. Mostly super-heroes. In high school, I created my own comics and characters. In college, I ran my own comic strip for 3 years. Post-college, I took some comic art classes at School of Visual Arts in New York. I created my own comic creation called "Stiletto," which was a Simpsons-like super-hero parody.

Then the graphic design industry claimed me. Since then, I've worked at various agencies in the Connecticut and New York metropolitan area. It's been great. The past few years, I've been freelancing. In my spare time, I've developed some of my own ideas and pitches for comics and animation.

So.... what does all this have to do with "The Hero Business"?

It hit me one day: Why not blend my two worlds together? The wheels began to turn.... A workplace comedy series based at an agency... for super-heroes.

The comedy could work on multiple levels. You've got the super-hero parody stuff. You've got a scathing look at our overly-marketed world. You've got a cast of characters that include super-heroes, villains and regular folk. That sounds kinda like an ad agency by itself! And then the name hit me: The Hero Business (I can never resist a good double entendre. I grew up watching Three's Company!).

There are influences, but maybe not what you would think. I guess the easy "sell" for this would be "The Office meets Hancock," but I'm not sure if that quite encapsulates the tone. See, I'm a big fan of "workplace sitcoms" in general. There's something about the idea of a forced family that appeals to me. Cubemates are not associating with each other by choice. They are forced to deal with each other. So, you have a logical reason to have people clashing on a daily basis. Maybe that's why I love shows like Newsradio, Scrubs, 30 Rock, Mary Tyler Moore, Cheers, and the like.

So I had the premise. I just neeeded to develop the cast.... who would work at The Hero Business?

That's a story for another post....

Welcome to the Hero Business

Welcome to the Hero Business, an original web comic by me, Bill Walko. Click on the link on the right to check out the site. Because with great powers, comes great marketability.